What are metallic office plants?

1. Metallica is very different than most palms. The leaves are stiff and have a very simple undivided leaf. In deep shade the leaves become dark green and almost black with a metallic sheen. Hence the name Metallica.

2. More growers are beginning to produce this slow growing plant. In the past it was typically found grown in 6 inch pots only. Now as more plants are produced you’ll find it planted in 8 and 10 inch pots with 3 plants per pot. PDIPLANTSBlog.com

3. Metallica is slow growing so you can expect to pay more than usual. It’s slow growth also means you’ll be able to enjoy the plant in the same place for years.

Remember This…

One good rule of thumb in purchasing plants – Most of the plants that do well indoors are slow growers. Don’t judge a plant based just upon price and height. Slow growers usually cost more and may not be as tall but are better over the long haul.

4. Normal height for Metallica is 24 – 36 inches tall. They are very tolerant of low light conditions and work well when you need something different and upright.

They’re pretty easy to care for. Metallica does well with lighting that you’ll find in most homes and offices. If the plant is placed in brighter light levels the leaves lighten to a grey-green color.

DO NOT allow plants to sit in saucers full of water or never allow the soil to dry, this can lead to root rot. Over watering will lead to leaf tips that turn yellow.

5. Wait until the soil has dried down about half the soil depth. When you water, thoroughly water the soil evenly making sure the soil and roots have all had a good drink.

6. DO NOT let the plant sit in water!!!

Pest problems are hardly an issue with Metallica. The wide leaves make it easy to wipe down and keep the foliage clean. The leaves are also rigid and thicker making it more difficult for insects to “feast”.

7. Palms grown indoors can get spider mites and mealy bug.

Do not prune the metallica palm as you would other plants. It grows from a main stem, and the leaflets should be “tipped” or the leaf itself removed.

At PDIPLants Boston,MA we always design with low light office plant species such as Metallica.

If you’re looking for a low light palm that is also an accent plant check out the Chamaedorea Metallica palm, just be careful not to over water.

How to use Stromanthe indoor office plants in your officescapes Boston, MA

Why colorful stromanthe "sanguinea triostar" in your indoor office environments?

1. Stromanthe sanguinea is mainly grown for its richly variegated foliage that comes in pink, dark pink or burgundy, white, and green colors. During spring time, sanguinea produces reddish-pink flowers.

2. In addition to the peerless multi-colored foliage many observant and experienced gardeners noticed that it has both nyctinastic (night) and heliotropic (sun) movements that are controlled at the swollen area near the base of the leaf.

3. At this portion, the pigments, Phytochrome triggers the night position of the leaves and the cryptochrome triggers the day movements.

4. Stromanthe sanguinea exhibits a clump-forming growth to about 3.5 feet making it an excellent container plant. It performs well as a landscape and garden patios plant and is loved by many as an office plant in well lite lobbies.

Plantscape Designs Inc uses these colorful plants in your lobbies and atriums to soften the polished river rock used in planters today Cambridge, MA.

Why use Pteris ferns in your interior office plant design?

Pteridaceae (in Pteridaceae (plant family): The Pteridoid clade)

The Pteridoid clade contains 17 genera and about 400 species. The largest genus, Pteris (brakes), consists of about 250 species distributed throughout tropical and warm temperate parts of the world and is known for the large number of hybrids between various species.

DESCRIPTION: This is a large group of Ferns that can be grown in greenhouses, hothouses, and homes. There are hardy kinds that lose their leaves (deciduous) and kinds that are evergreen. They are found wild in many parts of the world, such as tropical America, tropical Asia, India, China, Japan, West Indies, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Pteris vary greatly in their sizes and shapes. Some are a few inches tall and some are several feet tall. Most kinds have fronds that are divided deeply into many long, ribbon-like sections. P. cretica, the Cretan Brake, is one of the most popular kinds. Growing up to 18 inches high, this Fern forms masses of light green, evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage. The leaves are broadly oval to triangular and divided into finger-like segments. P. cretica albolineata grows up to 18 inches high and has evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves, up to 8 inches long. These are in forked or linear segments. They are pale green striped down the center with creamy white.

PDI currently applies these types of indoor office plants in many of our interior N.E. plantscapes in and around the Boston/ Cambridge, MA areas.

Why use fiddle leaf ficus as one of your indoor office plants?

Why use fiddle leaf ficus trees in your office work place?

Fiddle leaf ficus trees add a different texture to your indoor office plant grouping.

You can use these mediun light loving plants in your windows or well lighted inteior officescapes.

Because fiddle leaf ficus are in the same family as ficus bejamina, ficus nitida and indian rubber trees, they can be interchanged with all of the above when designing your interiorscapes.

The added advantage of using fiddle leaf ficus is that their leaves do not fall with the changing seasons of autumn and spring.

PDIPLants currently services the Bio Pharma offices and labs in downtown, Cambridge,MA